Direct descendants of the fearsome Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan, in the early 19th century Kalmyk cavalrymen were to play a significant role in driving Napoleon’s Grande Armée out of Russia and all the way back to Paris, with their ancient battle skills sowing confusion and terror in the French ranks. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been more than 20 years since the collapse of the USSR and the beginning of the period of genuine religious freedom in Russia. Great changes happened both in the country as well as in the minds and hearts of the citizens during this period. Read the rest of this entry »

Elena Remileva frequently comes to Kalmykia: visiting relatives and engaged in charity. The reason for this visit was the release of her book “Oirat Mongols. Review the history of European Kalmyks”. Read the rest of this entry »

In the multinational Kalmyk Republic one can meet followers of all world religious teachings. Buddhists and Orthodox Christians are a majority. There is a Catholic Chapel in Elista, and in Prikumsky settlement of the Chernozemelsky region there is a Moslem Mosque.Read the rest of this entry »

The Kalmyks originate from Central Asia. Their ancestors — the Oirats — belonged to the western branch of Mongolian peoples and represented a very powerful alliance of tribes which were formations of the early feudal state under which dominion the whole Mongolia was in the first half of XV сentury. Consequently interregional conflicts and a number of military bad lucks caused the reduction of Oirat Empire.Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama’s visit in the summer of 1991 became a marvelous in the life of the steppe republic.

The Bodhisattva of Compassion Dalai Lama stepped on the Kalmyk land for the first time during centuries-old history of Oirat-Kalmyks. Extremely deep love, joy, kindless towards the Teacher expressed by our reserved people was felt every where. Read the rest of this entry »